1988 OMC.......

[notinbig]

Hey ya'll. I am in a pickle. My little openbow was put away last year and there was some noise coming from what I thought was the rear of the boat however it could have just been traveling around the boat. I am a little over cautous this year because I found a slip and I won't have it in my driveway to tinker on. My pickle is this, should I bring out of storage early and pull it aprt to see what I can find or should I just run the old dog and see what happens. I am not concerned about hurting someone else or thier property and the lake I am on is very populated, so I can get hooked in if needed and a fried has two boats on the same lake at the same slip so he could allways come drag me in.<br />?????what should I do?????

 

[Don S]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

I wouldn't worry about it. Like all things mechanical, they heal over the winter and will be fine...... Nothing wrong with making your friends tow you back to the dock, no reason you have to fix your boat when you can interrupt their fun to tow you. Who knows, maybe you should ask your friends (while you still have them) to fix your boat while you drink some beer, that ought to work and you wouldn't have to get your hands dirty.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

<br /><br />I Forgot All About that "Self Healing" feature on those Old OMCs...................

 

[notinbig]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

Boy thats a ton of help. I am not running a POS. This boat is maintained perfectly and maybe a little to much for it's age. It was free and don't want to be replacing the lower unit, or spend a lot of time on something thats nothing. As I said I am very perticular and there may be nothing but my paranoia going on. I just wanted some opions or easy checks such as turn prop while in gear will show slack or wear of???????something. <br />Instead I get a couple of smarta** comments. no wonder alot of people are going elsewhere you two jump on every post.

 

[Don S]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

should I bring out of storage early and pull it aprt to see what I can find or should I just run the old dog and see what happens. I am not concerned about hurting someone else or thier property and the lake I am on is very populated, so I can get hooked in if needed and a fried has two boats on the same lake at the same slip so he could allways come drag me in

Didn't sound like you wanted to do much repairing to me, pull the drive and check the gimbal bearing and ujoints, they are the most common place for noises in the back of the engine. Usually because of a leaky bellows.

 

[notinbig]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

Thanks DonS I get'er today, It's gonna be almost 50!

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

That cobra drive is a good one. It's not a darn stringer! Don't let old "merc bondo" tell you otherwise. <br /><br />(I changed my two bellows and gimbal bearing last year on my 1986 cobra drive.)

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

What'd I Say Now..!!??? <br /><br />I've Never said Anything Bad about those drives.....<br />It's Probably 1 of the Best Drives,... Volvo Ever Made........

 

[Lou C]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

Hey Bondo--<br />This may sound like BS but the story I heard was this:<br />In 1986 the Cobra (all OMC) came out and replaced the stringer. Now there were problems with the shift cables that were eventually worked out. But sales still weren't good. In 93 OMC and V-P formed the joint venture. In 94 the redesigned OMC Cobra and volvo sx were released. They used the transom shield of the cobra, and changed the shifting to the volvo style cone clutch. They added the King Cobra lower. This is the kicker, the units were/are identical, and I heard that it was basically designed by OMC. Too bad they didn't come out with this one in 1986, they might still be in business. In 96 or so OMC sold off their interest in the sterndrive joint venture to volvo, who got the manufacuring plants and "intellectual property".

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

Ayuh,.......... That's What I Said..............

 

[Don S]

Re: 1988 OMC.......

The insides of those drive after the "Joint Venture" started was strictly Volvo. The shift mechanism is all completely Volvo, the DP is strictly Volvo. OMC had the foundry to make the outside of the drives look the same, but the insides were done to Volvo specs. OMC did make the manuals for the them starting in 93 to 2001 I think, then Volvo reverted back to their own junky manuals.<br />None of the drives were direct bolt on and the bellhousings and transom shields changed also. No more monkey motion with ESA systems once Volvo got involved, they also lost the outdrive raw water pump. It also was the crank mounted pump from Volvo.<br />The management of OMC is the cause of it's demise. Between the Cobra problems and the Ficht outboards, nothing could help them, and their CEO made it even worse.